Acoustic guitar quality question.

[Clemsonlb21]

I have been playing acoustic guitar for about two years and consider myself a pretty good guitarist, but I want to go to the next level soon. I have a very cheap ($100) guitar and was thinking of moving on to a Taylor or something like that. How much difference does the actual guitar make or is it the guitarist that makes all the difference?

[suppaenitetere]

The guitarist is always the most important. A great guitarist can make a ****ty guitar sing. While this is true, a good guitar will make you sound better play faster and play smoother. So the guitarist is always most important but a great guitar will supplement their skills. On the Taylors, my uncle plays one and they are really nice guitars. I also like some of the higher end takamines (I play an f-360 SS and love it to death.

[fizz]

same can be said about a new set of strings :)
can make a world of difference.

[55'gibby]

I absolutly agree that the guitarist makes the music that the guitar produces. That said... if you have been playing for a coupla years it's time that you CAN move up to a "better" guitar. there is a lot to be said for a good acoustic. the tonal quality of a higher end instrument is something that that your fingers can't produce. if you have played for a longer time you can appreciate things like dynamic range, eveness of highs and lows, playability, warmth, brightness, expressiveness. before I went out a spent the money on a Taylor or some other guitar in that price range I would begin a rather extensive search of all the guitars in the market in all sorts of price ranges and make up your own mind of what you really like.

I do so love to play devils advocate

[eische]

well, yeah go out and play through forrests of different woods and you will hear the differences emediately :D .....I mean, it depends a bit on how good you »cheapy« is, I had a constantly ratteling one and having my first decent guitar in hand made me sound like a master, eventhough I wasn't.......the right guitar (the one the sound of it makes you shiver inside) can do a lot for your motivation and will just sound better in your hands, because you become a sort of matching partner of it.......

[Nick]

One thing i would like to know is - do guitars keep 'sounding' better the higher the price or is it just build quality and stuff that improves.

My first guitar was a bottom end fender acoustic, i paid £100 for that. then after about 2-3 years i bought a guitar for £400(high end fender acoustic) and to be honest there was not 'that' much difference in the sound quality.

Also, if I played the cheaper guitar and my older brother who isn't as good as me played his takamine, then suddenly my old guitar sounded better.

[eische]

Originally posted by Nick
One thing i would like to know is - do guitars keep 'sounding' better the higher the price or is it just build quality and stuff that improves.


back on the prices - this is just numbers here, because as I said they differ a lot:

First there is a barrier to the really cheap ones, that are not well made.....a decent one, that is equal grip-board, straight frets, adjusted mechanics, full wood top and so on has a minimum price (where I live around 100 - 300 €).....and here the price is a signal of quality....
.....after that comes the section of similar made guitars that only differ in outlooks, like perly mechanics or a decorative band around the soundhole, which makes (again where I live) guitars between 100 - 300 € sound equally good (but the sound is a very personal choice, so you might end up with a more expensive one, because the sound fit's you better), but just look different.....
.....from say (you know: where I live) 700 € onwards again the qualitiy differs, because then you come to the region, where the guitars are made of full wood (it's also the handmade-section) and the price of the wood is the difference in sound and price of the guitar (for example pine is cheaper than mahagony). Now it is again a section up to around (again my price-list) 1200 €, where these differences make a destinct difference; above that it comes to the look only again.......

does that help, or at least give you an impression?

[gck]

However, even if the wood used it more expensive that doesn't mean you'd like the sound of it better, it will be "different". For example, if I was looking for a steel guitar one made of plain simple steel will be cheaper than one made of gold, but it doesn't mean that the gold one sounds better then (well, not a realistic example, I doubt they make guitars out of gold).

Sometimes, expensive inlays in the fretboard or headstock make the price go up.

[chrisbs]

Important thing is to play a lot of guitars, forget name, etc
just go with what feels and sounds best to you, that is really all that counts


http://www.fretland.com

[Clemsonlb21]

The cheap guitar I was referring to in the first post is a Johnson. Is anyone familar with those and have any opinions on them?

[55'gibby]

I am a little bit familiar with Johnson guitars

the acoustics I've seen are primarily plywood guitars. not a bad first guitar... not what I would recommend for someone who has been playing for any lenght of time.

most guitars in the $100 to $300 range are plywood sides, top and back, and machine made. not a lot of care is give to the fine detail of the guitar. it's not until you get to $300 to $500 where you will get into solid wood tops (some will still have plywood sides and back). this is the price point where things like good hardware and good joinery begin. in the $500 to $1000 price range is when you get into solid wood guitars. this is where there begins some degree of hand constuction and higher qualitity finishes. this is also where you start to get into AAA grade woods, mahogony joint blocks and high end hardware. in the $1000 to $2000 range you get a better grade of woods (tighter grain and better grain patterns for example). this is also the price range where the bracing patterns are given much more thought (this will dramatically affect sound and tone). more effort is given in this price range in things like bindings, intonation, the glue-up, finish, sanded braces, sanded bottom of sound board, tuned tops and the introduction of more extensive pearl work. beyond $2000 in where the real high end decorations begins as well as exotic materials (like albalone instead of pearl or bear claw spruce instead of edleman spruce).

if you have been playing for a coupla years my (and I mean MY) minimum requirements would be:

solid wood top (also known as the sound board, if that is a subtle hint), quarter sawn neck (either mahogony, rosewood or rock maple), rosewood or ebony fingerboard, rosewood or ebony bridge, and good joinery (neck to body and neck to headstock). beyond that everthing is a matter of how important everything is to you. don't forget things like tone, playablity and overall quality.

don't get caught in brand names and fancy ornamentation (pearl doesn't add anything to the tone) these things cost money and don't mean a better instrument. take some time to learn a bit about guitar constrution (you don't have to make a major study of it, just know the basics) and materials before you go out to shop, cuz, a informed buyer is far harder to be taken advantage of by a salesman. there are some really nice guitars that are really affordable, but, you have to know what your looking for.

[GuitarMonky55]

if u want to step up ur guitar..............(by the way i shuldnt really need to say this i ashamed of yall)........GET A MARTIN! MARTIN MARTIN MARTIN MARTIN!!!!!! i haf a martin d-15 mahogany dreadnought, i wuld like a more $$ on but it was my first guitar but it blows away any taylor or takamine (ugh i hate foreign instruments.......GO AMERICA) a d15 is about 6-700 depending on where u buy it, its all solid wood and martins by far rule the acoustic world

[sbguitman]

i know mine wasn't very expensive but i love it...

Mitchell MD-50

[pete_182]

ive been playing acoustic guitar 4 about 8-9 years and only recently hav i bought a new one. the new guitar is worth about £230 which is probably around $300. It has drastically increased my skill with acoustic guitars and it has a much fuller sound. i recommend buying quite a large acoustic guitar with steel strings.

[Nick]

what did you get pete?

[pete_182]

i got a yamaha fg 412s. all the yamaha acoustics are good.

[Nick]

i've heard that too. i've got a yamaha electric and a fender acoustic

[Nick]

cant find a 412s on the yamaha site send a link and let me have a nose at it please.

i saw a 413s which looked very nice though.

[pete_182]

its pretty identical to the 413s. the main thing u need is both sides (back/front) hav to be made out of 1 piece of wood. sumtimes cheap acoustics are made out of 3 or 4 different pieces of wood which sorta kills the sound. i wud definately recommend the 413s or ne similar acoustics. i prefer to stick with yamahas.
the 412s looks exactly like the 413s. the only difference is the 412s is slightly thinner. 413s looks good!!! :D

[seagull_player]

If you are looking for a high qualityguitar at a resonable price, get a SEAgull. THey are handmade in LaPAtrie , Quebec, Canada.

[lewiskei]

Have you thought of an electro-acoustic? I have just bought a Yamaha CPX5 and I'm well impressed. Good sound when played acoustically and it rocks when you stick it through an amp. I paid £350 ($500) from Soundslive (http://www.soundslive.co.uk) in the UK and it included a Hiscox hard case as well. Bargain! :D

If you fancy an electro-acoustic, make sure you get a fat bodied one as the thin bodied ones sound good through an amp but are usually crap when played acoustically.

[utpanic]

just play Martin! i have a dx-1 and i'd take it over just abour ANY other guitar. try it out! of course, it's different for everyone, but martin has a great reputation for a reason.

[suppaenitetere]

Martins not for everyone... i prefer my takamine f-470ss over any martin i've played. Martins are way too bassy for me and the price tag is a bit above what i find reasonable.

Only guitars i've thought compared to my tak(for my tastes) were the taylors... those are REALLY nice guitars. Alas, they too are high in the prices(i feel they deserve it, just i dont have it).

[eyeballz03]

Nah! The Yamahas really dont do anything for me. Same goes for the Washburn. I chose the Ibanez. Incredible sound for such a low price.

Give the Ibanez Artwood a try. And the Seagull if you can find one are Awesome!

[SuperSteve]

I have been playing for 30 years and own quite a few guitars, ranging from a Les paul Custom to a Gibson JG-12 12 String I got 30 years ago.

I just picked up a new Yamaha CPX8SY-TB compass series in Tropical Blue. Finish is absolutely perfect, action like butter, and the electronics in this acoustic-electric are great. Dual pickup system with a transducer and separate mike on a gooseneck just inside the opening. With the case (not included), it was about $900. I cannot see anything I do not like about this precsision instrument.

I looked at the Martin D-15-E and was turned off because of the lack of finish as well as the lamintated construction. The sales person even introduced it as a low-end Martin. Not bad, though a bit boomy sounding. The Yamaha felt natural in my hands.

[Newfie]

I`ve been playing for over 30 yrs and have owned several guitars.Yamaha, Fender, Martin and Ovation. I now have a Taylor 414ce and it is the best I`ve had so far, even though my martin cost quite a bit more